Current:Home > FinanceWhat's next for Greg Olsen with Tom Brady in line to take No. 1 spot on FOX? -Mastery Money Tools
What's next for Greg Olsen with Tom Brady in line to take No. 1 spot on FOX?
View
Date:2025-04-26 08:25:01
Greg Olsen accomplished what he set out to do.
His stated goal when he took his first job broadcasting games for NFL on FOX was the same one he harbored as a star tight end for 14 seasons in the league.
"Make it hard as hell for them to replace you," Olsen told NorthJersey.com in a 2022 interview, and he has done just that.
Now the football is in the hands of FOX Sports executives, and there is a strong indication that, even with Olsen’s emergence as the best game analyst in the sport this season, Olsen is about to lose his gig to a broadcasting rookie.
The newbie also happens to be the greatest quarterback of all time.
NFL STATS CENTRAL: The latest NFL scores, schedules, odds, stats and more.
Olsen knew the deal when he was paired with Kevin Burkhardt as FOX’s No. 1 team: the network had already committed to pay Tom Brady $375 million to eventually be in that spot, and it was only a matter of time.
That time is upon us, at least according to what Brady confirmed during an appearance on the Pat McAfee Show on Tuesday afternoon. Olsen and Burkhardt received rave reviews from fans and media alike for their call of Sunday's NFC Championship Game that featured an epic 17-point comeback by the San Francisco 49ers to beat the Detroit Lions, earning a place in Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas on Feb. 11.
Given the financial investment the network has made in Brady, it's understandable this is the road on which they have decided to travel. Of course, that doesn't make this any easier with Burkhardt, Olsen, Erin Andrews and Tom Rinaldi seemingly peaking as a team.
If Olsen is bumped to Fox’s No. 2 team, his $10 million salary will be cut to $3 million, an individual with knowledge of the situation confirmed to NorthJersey.com.
"I think Greg’s done an incredible job, I have so much respect for him, how he approaches his job," Brady said. "He’s super prepared in what he does. I think he does an incredible job every time he’s on, I love listening to him."
The initial plan was for Brady to take over with Burkhardt prior to this past season, but a collective decision was made that he would wait until 2024. That gave Olsen two full seasons, including a Super Bowl last year, to team with Burkhardt.
Burkhardt and Olsen replaced Joe Buck and Troy Aikman, who left FOX for ESPN's "Monday Night Football," and the pairing with Andrews on the sideline found their groove quickly and impressed with each passing week.
Behind the scenes, Brady has been prepping for the big move to the booth. He and Burkhardt have met up at the FOX studios in Los Angeles for practice together, calling mock games in order to work through any growing pains there will undoubtedly be for the seven-time Super Bowl champion.
"Naturally, there's skepticism," Brady said. "I'm gonna be a rookie."
For Olsen, his own growth and development has put him in an interesting quandary. There's no question his presence at the top of the business is earned. If he stays at FOX, not only will he take a pay cut, but he'd likely have to start from scratch in terms of building chemistry with No. 2 play-by-play man Joe Davis.
Tony Romo (CBS), Cris Collinsworth (NBC), Aikman (ESPN) and Kirk Herbstreit (Amazon) are all reportedly under contract through the 2024 season. But it would not come as a surprise if any of those networks makes a push to pluck Olsen from FOX, and especially CBS with Romo drawing criticism for his performance the past two seasons after he took the business by storm when he started.
"It’s hard to predict how all that plays out," Olsen told The Athletic on Tuesday. "But my end goal is to call premiere games at the top of the ladder and that pursuit won’t change regardless of what happens this next year with my current role."
veryGood! (87)
Related
- Are Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp down? Meta says most issues resolved after outages
- Spotify streams of Michigan fight song 'The Victors' spike with Wolverines' national championship
- Shohei Ohtani's Dodgers deal prompts California controller to ask Congress to cap deferred payments
- SEC chair denies a bitcoin ETF has been approved, says account on X was hacked
- 'No Good Deed': Who's the killer in the Netflix comedy? And will there be a Season 2?
- CDC probes charcuterie sampler sold at Sam's Club in salmonella outbreak
- More Than 900 Widely Used Chemicals May Increase Breast Cancer Risk
- Votes by El Salvador’s diaspora surge, likely boosting President Bukele in elections
- Biden administration makes final diplomatic push for stability across a turbulent Mideast
- Gov. Kristi Noem touts South Dakota’s workforce recruitment effort
Ranking
- Trump wants to turn the clock on daylight saving time
- South Korean lawmakers back ban on producing and selling dog meat
- New Jersey’s State of the State: Teen voting, more AI, lower medical debt among governor’s pitches
- Michigan Wolverines return home to screaming fans after victory over Washington Huskies
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Triathlon
- Selena Gomez Announces Social Media Break After Golden Globes Drama
- Mexican authorities investigate massacre after alleged attack by cartel drones and gunmen
- South Carolina no longer has the least number of women in its Senate after latest swearing-in
Recommendation
Most popular books of the week: See what topped USA TODAY's bestselling books list
Boeing supplier that made Alaska Airline's door plug was warned of defects with other parts, lawsuit claims
The Pope wants surrogacy banned. Here's why one advocate says that's misguided
Whaddya Hear, Whaddya Say You Check Out These Secrets About The Sopranos?
EU countries double down on a halt to Syrian asylum claims but will not yet send people back
Killing of Hezbollah commander in Lebanon fuels fear Israel-Hamas war could expand outside Gaza
Cesarean deliveries surge in Puerto Rico, reaching a record rate in the US territory, report says
Should you bring kids to a nice restaurant? TikTok bashes iPads at dinner table, sparks debate